At Biome, many of our products are vegan, the main exceptions are skin care products that contain beeswax, honey or goats milk. We believe it is also important to check that the vegan alternatives are made without harmful synthetics or environmentally degrading ingredients, which ultimately affects animals through their habitats. Our vegan products provide sustainable alternatives.

What is a vegan?

A vegan is someone who chooses to avoid all animal products. This includes not consuming meat, milk, eggs, honey, or using leather, wool, silk and other animal or insect products in their lifestyle.

Why go vegan?

There are a number of reasons that people choose veganism.

For ethical reasons...

Most vegans object to the unnecessary human use and treatment of animals on compassionate grounds. A main example is avoidance eggs and milk acknowledging that regardless of how farmed animals were raised or cared for, the vast majority meet the same fate at the slaughterhouse due to the nature of milk and egg production (male calves and chicks are killed as a byproduct, and the females are killed once they reach the end of their optimum producing life, earlier than their natural lifespan).

For health reasons...

Balanced vegan diets are low in cholesterol and saturated fat, rich in vitamins, antioxidants and fibre, and can decrease the chance of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers. Contrary to popular belief, well-planned vegan diets are suitable for all age groups and stages of life, and can provide ample protein.

For environmental reasons...

There are a many environmental reasons why people choose vegan. It is true than any reduction in your reliance on animal products is probably a good thing for the planet, environmentally conscious veganism is the lowest on the impact spectrum.

Reduces your carbon footprint by 1.5 tonnes

Did you know that the livestock industry produces 18% of global greenhouse emissions? That’s 34% more than the entire transport sector (which produces 13.5%), including aviation. Vegan diets are an effective way to reduce environmental impact. One study found that a vegan diet produces roughly 1.5 tonnes less carbon dioxide per year than a typical US diet.

Reduces land and water required by your diet by two-thirds or more

Plant-based diets only need about a third of the water than that of an average Western diet containing animal products. Also, the amount of land needed to produce food for someone following a typical meat-based diet could feed two-and-a-half vegetarians, or ﬁve vegans! This is because farmed animals consume much more protein, water and calories than they produce. Basically, it’s feeding a crop to a crop, so a vegan diet cuts out the middleman!

Reduces your impact on the ocean

The single biggest threat to marine ecology is overfishing. The overfishing of targeted fish species, the collateral damage to other fish species (those caught in the same nets, and little understood ecosystem impact), and worldwide demand is increasing.

There are also massive environmental costs associated with farmed fish. With wild fish populations crashing, aquaculture is now the world’s most rapidly increasing industry of animal production. Farmed fish are fed meal made from wild fish. More than three tonnes of wild-caught fish are needed to product one tonne of farmed salmon. For some newly farmed species, the ratio can be 5:1. Additionally, fish waste and the dangerous chemicals used to treat disease are all environmental pollutants.

Reduces your environmental impact in many other ways

Farming animals for human consumption also contributes to a multitude of other environmental problems such as deforestation, water pollution, degradation and loss of biodiversity.

And some for all of the above reasons!

Isn’t it hard to become a vegan?

It’s easier than it ever has been. It does requires some initial research into replacement of animal products in your diet and lifestyle to ensure your vegan diet is healthy and balanced (helpful resources below). Luckily, in terms of diet you will not have to forgo taste or familiar foods, as there are many mouth-watering plant-based dishes (from exotic to everyday), and the variety of vegan options in stores and restaurants is growing all the time.

It can help to make changes towards veganism at your own pace, as if you are too strict on yourself it can feel overwhelming. Many vegan advocates emphasise the importance of avoiding the products for which animals are bred and slaughtered, but with items that contain small or trace amounts of byproducts, feel individuals themselves should decide where to draw the line. This is because they believe that these compromises can mean it is easier for people to maintain a mainly vegan diet, create demand for vegan alternatives, and in reducing the market for main animal products, the cost-effectiveness and access to animal by-products will also be reduced.

We have plenty of vegan choices at Biome. From an environmental vegan standpoint, it is good to remember that while avoiding leather and other animal-based textiles or products, the alternatives can be made from harmful synthetics which can also have a large environmental impact (which in turn, ultimately will affect animals and their habitats). At Biome our vegan products provide sustainable alternatives.

Finding a good vegan chocolate can be a challenge, we have some lovely vegan chocolate options at Biome for you to try. They are all ethically traded and most are certified organic as well. All avoid the use of palm oil.

Vegan recipes

When you start preparing vegan meals it’s very helpful to have a good vegan cookbook or two to show you some of the basics and beyond. Find wonderful sample vegan recipes included in the descriptions of our vegetarian and vegan cookbooks.

What does “certified vegan” mean?

Typically this means that a company has submitted information and more often than not a registration fee to a vegan trademarking, certifying or accrediting organisation with proof that their products are vegan. Once they are approved, they are able to use a trademark or logo so people can easily identify that a product is vegan-friendly.

One of the most common vegan certifications is The Vegan Society trademark from the oldest vegan organisation in the world (The Vegan Society actually coined the term ‘vegan’ in 1944). To be eligible to carry their trademark, goods must not contain any animal ingredients or have been tested on animals in manufacture, development or content, including genetically modified organisms, and dishes to be labelled vegan must be prepared separately from non-vegan dishes (at a minimum areas cleaned well between preparation). They define the word “animal” to refer to all vertebrates and multicellular invertebrates. At Biome, all Sanctum and most Inika products (excluding lip whip as it contains honey) carry this trademark.

Another trusted vegan certification is issued by Vegan Action, an organisation founded in 1994. Products that carry the above logo do not contain animal products or byproducts and have not been tested on animals. They require documentation that if machinery is shared to manufacture animal products, they have been cleaned to reduce the chance of processing contamination. At Biome, Surya products carry this certification.

Not all products that carry the Choose Cruelty Free bunny logo are vegan, but this organisation does certify vegan products. If you see this logo or a company claims they are certified vegan by Choose Cruelty Free, check out their page of accredited cruelty free vegan companies. At Biome, Choose Cruelty Free accredited vegan companies are Clean Conscience, Pure & Green, Sanctum, Musq and Wild Soapnuts.

Great range of products, easy to navigate website, good specials and very speedy delivery. Particularly liked the personalised note! read more >Anna from Hamilton

Great products at a reasonable price. Ecologically and fair trade sound. Biome has taken selling to a finer level. I'm very happy with my purchases and happy to recommend a company with great ethics as well as fantastic products! read more >Leanne from Goosberry Hill

Used this company because of their commitment to environmental issues and range of environmentally conscious products. They provided a fabulous service, great range of products, and was promptly delivered in minimal packaging. Would use again for sure! read more >Blueblue from Orange